This invention relates to an energy absorbing system that can be used to dissipate unwanted energy such as, e.g., the energy of an errant vehicle. The system can be used in a variety of applications, including HOV lane traffic control, drawbridges, security gates, or crash cushion applications. In one application, the system is used to prevent a vehicle from crossing a railroad track while the warning gates are down or there is a train in the area.
The problem of vehicles improperly crossing railroad tracks is becoming more pronounced due to a rise in both the average speed of trains and in the number of vehicles on the roads. For example, a new high speed rail line has recently been put into service on the east coast of the United States, which passes through densely populated areas. Traditional systems for preventing vehicles from crossing the tracks at inopportune times have proved less than fully satisfactory. Traditional gates can be bypassed by impatient drivers who don't yet see a train coming, and, in any event, will not stop a vehicle that is out of control.
Other vehicle barriers have been proposed, but none have solved the problem in a manner that is both feasible and commercially practical. Thus, old-fashioned gates are still the most common system for protecting railroad crossings.